Paper Vote Canada

This is a huge chunky extract of Toronto Administration Committee stuff.
And in case you're wondering,
1) yes, the John Hollins who was the Director of Elections for Toronto has now moved on to be Chief Electorial Officer for Ontario.
2) Election Systems and Software is a US voting equipment vendor

I wonder if they promoted this as "$13 million Canadian taxpayer dollars go to US vendor, to help our elections work as well as they do in the USA".

I'm guessing not.

How good is ES&S? Well, I think this article from Black Box Voting sums it up:
ES&S Trying to Compete With Diebold In Race for Crappiest Voting Machines

Anyway,
THE CITY OF TORONTO
City Clerk's Division

Minutes of the Administration Committee

Meeting No. 3
Tuesday, July 13, 1999
www.city.toronto.on.ca/legdocs/1999/minutes/committees/adm/ad990713.htm

-6. Request for Proposal No. 3412-99-01464 for the Acquisition of 2000 Optical Scan Vote Tabulators and 100 Touch Screen Voting Units. The Administration Committee had before it the following:

(i) joint report (June 15, 1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer and Acting Commissioner, Corporate Services, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the City Clerk recommending that:

(1) the City Clerk be given authority to enter into a contract with Election Systems and Software Inc., being the proponent with the highest evaluated score, for the acquisition of the necessary optical scan vote tabulators and touch screen voting units, including all necessary support and service agreements, at a capital cost not to exceed $13.05 million ($1.0 million in 1999 and $12.05 in 2000), such contract to be in accordance with the Request for Proposal and the Proposal submitted, and on terms and conditions satisfactory to the City Clerk, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; and

(2) the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect thereto; and
(ii) report (June 28, 1999) from the City Clerk responding to a request by the Administration Committee on the possibility of Elections Ontario and Elections Canada cost sharing the purchase of the City of Toronto s vote tabulators and touch screen voting units; advising that at this time there is no interest at either Elections Ontario or Elections Canada to cost share the purchase of vote counting equipment with the City of Toronto; that Federal election legislation does not permit the use of equipment and Ontario's provincial election legislation currently only permits equipment to be used in by-elections; that should either of these jurisdictions choose in the future to use vote counting equipment, the City of Toronto could contract with the jurisdiction to rent the City's equipment; and recommending that this report be received for information.

(iii) communication (July 9, 1999) from Mr. Clinton H. Rickards, Director, Canadian Sales Global Election Systems Inc., expressing disappointment that his request to participate in the presentation of electronic voting machines to the Administration Committee has been refused.

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The City Clerk, and the following officials from the Clerk s Division, gave a presentation to the Administration Committee during the lunch recess respecting the foregoing matter, and filed a copy of their presentation material:

- Mr. John Hollins, Director of Elections;

- Ms. Janet Andrews, Senior Elections Consultant and Co-Chair of the Evaluation Committee;

- Mr. Stephen Miller, Senior Elections Consultant; and

- Mr. Greg Essensa, Senior Elections Consultant.
________

The following persons appeared before the Administration Committee in connection with the foregoing matter:

- Mr. Jamie Aiello, t.e.s.t.;

- Mr. John Meraglia, Co-Chair of the Evaluation Committee;

- Mr. Bob Urosevich and Mr. Clint Rickards, Global Election Systems Inc.;

- Mr. Dan McGinnis, Vice President of Sales, Election Systems and Software;

- Councillor Michael Walker; North Toronto;

- Councillor Mario Silva, Trinity Niagara;

- Councillor Mario Giansante, Kingsway Humber; and

- Councillor Bob Davis, York Eglinton.

A. Councillor Minnan-Wong moved on behalf of Councillor Davis that the Administration Committee refer the foregoing joint report (June 15, 1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer, the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the City Clerk, to the Chief Administrative Officer for report to the September 7, 1999, meeting of the Administration Committee:

(i) on the various other options, including leasing and rental, in consultation with the proponents who submitted this as part of their proposal, such report to include financial comparisons to the purchasing options; and

(ii) including information on the feasibility of borrowing this equipment from other jurisdictions. (Carried) B. Councillor Moeser moved that the foregoing motion by Councillor Minnan-Wong be amended to provide that the Chief Administrative Officer also report on the ongoing cost of maintenance of the batteries used for these voting units. (Carried)

C. Councillor Bussin moved that:

(1) the City Auditor be requested to:

(i) review the business case and the financial and technical evaluation of the proposals, including a rent-to-buy option, where included as part of the proposals;

(ii) review and evaluate the systems used in Vancouver, Ottawa, Chicago, Cook County, Philadelphia and Seattle,

and submit a report thereon to the aforementioned meeting of the Administration Committee;

(2) the appropriate staff be requested to provide to the Members of the Committee and Councillors, this week on a confidential basis, additional information on the evaluation criteria, weighting and ranking, including copies of the resultant independent testing authority for compliance with the standards of the U.S. and Federal Elections Commission;
and

(3) the City Clerk be requested to:

(i) give consideration to and report on providing orientation sessions for candidates, agents and scrutineers; and

(ii) report to the aforementioned meeting of the Administration Committee on the option of using a non-composite ballot, and on the option of requesting a change in Provincial legislation to allow a ballot design based upon the Provincial ballot. (Carried)

D. Councillor Mahood moved that the report (June 28, 1999) from the City Clerk be received. (Carried)

The decision of the Administration Committee, therefore, is as follows: The Administration Committee:

(1) referred the foregoing joint report (June 15, 1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer, the Acting Commissioner of Corporate Services, the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and the City Clerk, to the Chief Administrative Officer for report to the September 7, 1999, meeting of the Administration Committee:

(i) on the various other options, including leasing and rental, in consultation with the proponents who submitted this as part of their proposal, such report to include financial comparisons to the purchasing options;

(ii) including information on the feasibility of borrowing this equipment from other jurisdictions; and

(iii) on the ongoing cost of maintenance of the batteries used for these voting units;

(2) requested the City Auditor to:

(i) review the business case and the financial and technical evaluation of the proposals, including a rent-to-buy option, where included as part of the proposals;

(ii) review and evaluate the systems used in Vancouver, Ottawa, Chicago, Cook County, Philadelphia and Seattle,

and submit a report thereon to the aforementioned meeting of the Administration Committee;

(3) requested the appropriate staff to provide to the Members of the Committee and Councillors, this week on a confidential basis, additional information on the evaluation criteria, weighting and ranking, including copies of the resultant independent testing authority for compliance with the standards of the U.S. and Federal Elections Commission;

(4) requested the City Clerk to:

(i) give consideration to and report on providing orientation sessions for candidates, agents and scrutineers; and

(ii) report to the aforementioned meeting of the Administration Committee on the option of using a non-composite ballot, and on the option of requesting a change in Provincial legislation to allow a ballot design based upon the Provincial ballot; and
(5) received the report (June 28, 1999) from the City Clerk.

(Chief Administrative Officer; City Clerk; City Auditor - July 13, 1999) (Clause No. 26(e) - Report No. 2)